Today I saw a young man shoot up with heroin and almost die. This was a shock to me, to say the least, as I saw this happen up close.
As I walked into the men’s room at South Station in Boston, I saw a man on the floor turning blue.
He was in a stall and had the door locked. A man was trying to assist him but could not open the stall door. Another guy got over the wall and was able to open the door.
A group sprang into action trying to help. One person called 911 and was told how to deal with the man’s condition. The police came and the EMTs followed. You could see the needle he used to inject himself and his belt was tight around his arm. The man was close to death when one security man gave him a shot of Narcan. He came around but needed a second shot before he came to. I was there in the middle of all the action.
How could this happen? It did, and the police said this happens every day. This crisis is here – it is everywhere. Why would a young man put his life at risk in the bathroom of a bus station? Was the need for this drug so strong that he risked everything to satisfy his need?
I don’t have the answers. I know we must fight this terrible problem. As a society, we must join together to put a stop to this plague that has come upon us. I saw this up close and can only hope that we stand up and fight those who put people in harm’s way. This drug must go away and we must do everything we can to stop heroin from destroying our lives and the lives of those we love.
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Sen. Lou D’Allesandro is from Manchester and has represented the people of District 20 for nine terms. For the 2015-2016 legislative session he is Vice Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee and sits on the Finance and Capital Budget Committees. You can reach Sen. D’Allensandro at dalas@leg.state.nh.us. He is a regular contributor to Manchester Ink Link with his NH Senate Report.
